


I Give My All To You, For You

by Artistic_FloofHead



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Fluff, Happy Birthday Hajimeme, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito-centric, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss, Oblivious Hinata Hajime, Post-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Tsundere Hinata Hajime, WHY ARENT THERE MORE FANFICS BASED ON THAT SONG ITS LITERALLY PART OF CANON, WHY IS HE SO DENSE LMAO, i like to think that tag is synonymous with Nagito being the ultimate dork, inspired by Zettai Kibo Birthday, ok look nagito needs more friends too so IBUKI COME HERE MY CHILD, otherwise known as Nagito seductively singing happy birthday to the Ultimate Hope, some parts of this are just self-indulgent lol, this is fluff to make up for the other thing i posted lmao, ya boi doesn't like seeing their OTP in pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:00:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28238124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artistic_FloofHead/pseuds/Artistic_FloofHead
Summary: The New Year fast approaches, and Nagito Komaeda has yet to find a gift for Hajime Hinata's birthday.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito & Mioda Ibuki
Comments: 16
Kudos: 122





	I Give My All To You, For You

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAJIME HINATA ~~OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BEST DANGANRONPA PROTAGONIST~~

"Ah, sorry I'm late!" Nagito apologized as he took a seat.

"Took you long enough." Hiyoko rolled her eyes. "We've been waiting for _ages._ "

All of them were gathered at the diner. The first thing Nagito noticed was that Hajime wasn't around. It seems that he still wasn't back from the latest missions the Future Foundation tasked him with. Apparently, being the Ultimate Hope meant getting the shortest holiday breaks possible. Nagito thought this was barely fair, since he already did so much for everyone. It's been a year since they all came out from the Neo World Program and decided to live together on the real Jabberwock Island, and from the start of that Hinata had been working non-stop to try and undo the damage made by the rest as Ultimate Despairs.

"Yahoooo!" Ibuki yelled. "Yay, everyone's here!"

"Do enlighten us," The Ultimate Imposter said, still impersonating Byakuya Togami. " _Why_ exactly did you call all of us here?"

"Aww, c'mon Byakuya-chan! Haven't you guessed it already?" Ibuki sat down on a nearby table, letting her legs dangle freely. "Now that Christmas is over, New Year's is up next! Another celebration!"

"Hey, that's also Hajime's birthday, isn't it?" Fuyuhiko said.

"It totally is! It's a double celebration, which is why Ibuki had the great idea of throwing him a big, big surprise birthday party! And Ibuki wants everyone to help!"

"So that's why he isn't here with us!" Nekomaru said.

"Of course we'll help!" Kazuichi said, pumping his fists. "Hajime's been workin' his ass off for almost a week now! He'll really appreciate it, I'm sure!"

"Sounds like a great plan!" Mahiru cheered. "But where do we start?"

"Ibuki has an idea, a really, really good one!" She jumped up and down. The Ultimate Musician was full of energy, as always. "Let's all make Hajime-chan personalized gifts based on what we're all good at!"

"Got it!" Kazuichi grinned. "You bet I'm making my soul friend something great!"

"Kehehe..." Gundham chuckled. "Me and my Four Dark Devas of Destruction shall come up with something to blow your mortal minds away!"

Everyone else started chattering about what they'll be doing for Hajime's birthday. Nagito smiled. 

_Hinata-kun truly is lucky to have good friends like these._

Nagito is sure all their gifts will be wonderful, which is why he wonders what he'll get him.

_"Hmm... What exactly would be a fitting gift for him? "_ Nagito ponders. _"Oh, I remember Hinata-kun loves kusamochi! Though I suppose Hanamura-kun would already have that covered."_

He racked his brain for other things he could potentially give Hajime, but came up with nothing. He didn't have many strong preferences after all. This was especially evident now that his personality merged with that of Kamukura's. Things bored him more quickly.

_"Hah, why is this so hard?"_ Nagito sighed.

"Eyy, Nagito-chan!" Ibuki waved at him. "Why are you still here? Everyone has already left!"

He looked around quickly. It was true, he and Ibuki were the only ones left in the restaurant.

"Mioda-san!" Nagito smiled back. "I'm afraid I was too deep in thought to notice! I'll be on my way now!"

"It's about Hajime's gift, isn't it?" She asked. "Ibuki had noticed you seemed worried when I mentioned it! Could it be that you can't think of anything?"

"Well..." Nagito's gaze trailed to the floor. "You're not wrong about that."

"Aww, it's okay! You can help Ibuki with her present instead!" 

Nagito shook his head. "That's awfully nice of you Mioda-san, but I don't think I would be that helpful to the Ultimate Musician."

"Don't say that! You'll be tons of help!" Ibuki protested. "To be honest, Ibuki doesn't really know what sort of song to write for Hajime-chan either, so I thought about asking someone close to him!" 

Nagito was surprised. "Me? Close to Hinata-kun?"

"Duh! You've been spending a lot of time with him ever since you woke up! Not to mention Hajime-chan really seems to like having you around! Besides, this will be fun! You help me, and I help you!" She laughs. "Tahaaha! We help each other! Just like what friends do!"

_Friends._

Nagito never really considered any of his classmates a "friend". In all honesty, Hajime was the closest thing to a friend Nagito had and their relationship was rather...complex.

_And that's putting it lightly._

"Hellooooo? Earth to Nagito-chan?" She waved her hands in front of his face. 

"Ah? Oh." Nagito realized he had zoned out. "I'm sorry, I'm not really used to being called a "friend", but if you insist on me helping then, well, I have no reason to deny."

Ibuki's expression softened for a second before jumping back to her normal upbeat self. "Yahoo! this is gonna be great!"

* * *

After three snack breaks (Ibuki had a preference for civet coffee and some weird sort of sake) , five jogs around the island (Nagito's low stamina betrayed him here), and two "practice sessions" (which consisted of Nagito hitting a cowbell to the beat while Ibuki performed one of her hit singles; he can almost feel his ears bleeding), they eventually arrived at the Titty Typhoon. Ibuki was sitting on one of the bar stools, scribbling on a bunch of pieces of paper on the counter. The papers contained several lines of what appeared to be scrapped song lyrics and titles. Nagito was very confused on what he was supposed to be doing, and ended up standing awkwardly in the middle of the music venue, watching the Ultimate Musician crumple sheets of paper into balls and tossing them into a nearby trashcan. Except, more than half of the paper ended up scattered on the floor.

"This is no good at all!" Ibuki groaned. "It seems that Ibuki has caught writer's block!"

Nagito stared at the mess on the floor. "Forgive me for saying this, but I remember you used to write songs so quickly and easily no matter how random the topic."

"Yes yes, but this time is different! Ibuki is aware that not everyone is fond of her tastes in music, so I decided to revisit writing light music!" She beamed. "Ibuki didn't join a light music club for nothing after all!"

"I see..." Nagito thought for a while. "That's the one you left because of "creative differences", right?"

Ibuki seemed to reminisce for a bit. "There were a lot of differences between us, and Ibuki doesn't regret leaving, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn a thing or two from them!"

Nagito considered this. After all, she wouldn't be worthy of the title of "Ultimate Musician" if she did not master all other genres.

A moment of silence passed. "Nagito-chan, what would you put in a song for Hajime?"

"Eh? you're asking me that? I'm no good at writing music."

"Everyone has to start somewhere!" Ibuki said happily. "Ibuki said she'll help, so it's totally fine if you don't get it at first! Two heads are better than one! Well, unless you were born with two heads, then that's a big problem, haha!"

Ibuki went off on another of her nonsensical tangents.

_At least she's having fun._

"Do you like Hajime-chan a whole lot? And I mean a whole, whooooooole lot?"

"Wha—Huh?" Nagito sputtered.

"Ibuki has seen you give Hajime the goo-goo eyes on more than one occasion!" Ibuki said, oblivious to Nagito's reddening cheeks. "I mean, Ibuki can't blame you! Hajime-chan is really good looking after all!"

Nagito laughed it off, pretending he didn't hear that last part. "I fail to see how this is related to our current problem, Mioda-san."

"Using your own feelings in writing a song is what makes it so special!" Ibuki jumps up and down. "Playing music with love and passion is all you need to become a professional!"

Nagito thought otherwise, but it would be rather rude to point that out when she was so fired up. "I'll think about it."

He spotted a broom and dustpan laying in one corner. Not knowing what else to do, Nagito started sweeping up the crumpled balls of paper. At some point, he started humming absentmindedly to himself, a habit of his that he developed while cleaning. 

When he dumped the last of the paper into the trash, Ibuki was observing him, seemingly in awe, before jotting something down.

"Whoa Nagito-chan! This is a perfect melody for Hajime's birthday present! Now we're getting somewhere!"

Nagito was surprised, to say the least. "Is it really? I barely did anything."

"As Ibuki always says, genius ideas come whenever you aren't thinking about them or when you're drinking milk!" She muses proudly. "Give yourself some credit! This is also your gift after all!"

Nagito allowed himself to smile a bit. "Well... Thank you Mioda-san."

"No problemo!" She chirped. "You don't need to be so formal though! Call me Ibuki, we're friends after all! It's getting late now, so Ibuki will see you tomorrow!"

He watched as the energetic girl practically bounced out the doorway. Nagito soon retired to his cottage not long after. Today was... good. Better than most. 

_Hmm... I wonder what bad luck would come out from this._

Nagito shook his head. _No, Hinata had told him time and time again to stop thinking that way._

_"Komaeda." Hajime was sitting across from him. They were in a small, white office, having yet another therapy session courtesy of the Ultimate Everything. "You need to realize that everyone deserves to feel happy. You deserve to feel happy."_

_Nagito laughed mirthlessly. "You, out of everyone here, should know for a fact that that isn't true." Hajime started to object, but Nagito continued. "Acknowledging any form of good in my life will lead to that being taken away from me a split second after."_

_"That's what we're trying to change! Komaeda, our luck cancels each other out. I promised I'd help you get through this." Hajime's tone softened. "This is our second chance, one where we can choose our own future, one to make up for all those years we've spent in Ultimate Despair. Everyone is trying their best, and I need you to do that for me too."_

_"So you suggest I just stick to you for the rest of my life like a leech just so I can live a "normal" life?" Nagito quirks an eyebrow. "Such altruism, Hinata-kun! Unfortunately it seems that you've picked the wrong person to spend it on."_

_Hajime pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know that's not what I meant. We've been over this already, I choose who I want to help, and all of you deserve that kind of help."_

_Nagito tilts his head slightly. "Don't you get tired of trying to convince me otherwise?"_

_"If the next thing you're about to suggest is me giving up on you, then don't. I believe that someday, I can convince you that all of this is worth it." Hajime smiled. "After all, that's what **hope** is, isn't it?"_

_"Ha ha, very funny Hinata-kun. Your Ultimate Comedian skills are certainly showing through."_

_"You're smiling though. Does that mean it's working?"_

_And so he was. It was a fleeting moment, but Nagito decided to let himself cherish it._

He fell asleep, dreaming of library meetups with a certain chestnut-haired boy.

* * *

Immediately after he woke up, Nagito headed over to the restaurant to grab a few slices of toast for breakfast. He had been planning to eat in his room like always whenever Hinata wasn't around, but as soon as he arrived Ibuki had already spotted him and motioned for him to come over. 

"Hey, Nagito-chan! You're up pretty early! Come sit here with Ibuki!"

He had no reason to say no, so he brought his toast and butter over to Ibuki's table, along with a small mug of coffee.

"Oh, is that all you're gonna eat? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! It wouldn't be complete without some chocolate porridge with salted fish!" 

_That's.. an odd combination, to say the least_. Nagito thought. "I prefer toast over rice for breakfast, though Hinata-kun did tell me to eat more..."

"Hmm, does Nagito-chan have any other foods he likes for breakfast?"

He was surprised by the sudden question. "I'm fine with anything really, preferably something salty, but Hinata-kun says I still have to watch my sodium inta—"

Ibuki suddenly stood up and headed over to the food. Moments later, she came back with a few sausages, a fried egg, and some miso soup. "Ibuki made sure not to get the too salty ones!"

Nagito blinked and stared at the food in front of him. Not counting Hajime, no one has ever done this for him before.

"I... I am really grateful for this. Thank you."

"You're welcome! A proper diet is very, very important too if you wanna become world-famous!" Ibuki seemed pleased with herself as he ate his food silently. As expected of an Ultimate, Teruteru's cooking never ceased to amaze him.

_And yet, it's still different from what Hinata-kun cooks for me, despite sharing the talent of Ultimate Cook._

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Ibuki points. 

Nagito looked up to see some of the others gathered over at the other side of the restaurant. 

"Wow, Hajime is sure to love this!" Akane was holding something in her hands, while Sonia and Kazuichi stand beside her, the former looking extremely happy and the latter blushing in the presence of the Ultimate Princess, as always.

Upon closer inspection, the thing in Akane's hands seemed to be a plushie made to look like a chibi Hinata. There was also a nearby box, where there were apparently _more_ of these plushies.

"Aww! It's a cute, tiny Hajime! Ibuki just wants to snuggle all of them!" She scooped one up from the box. "What do these do?"

"Not much really, you can command them to move around however you like with this tablet." Kazuichi waved said tablet in the air. "If you coordinate them properly I think you could get them to clean your room or something. Hajime has almost every talent ever, so I was a bit stumped on what to make him since he'd probably have no need for common inventions." He shrugged. "Miss Sonia suggested I make him some sort of doll, similar to the Minimaru I made for Akane."

"Mmhm!" Sonia smiled. " I helped sew all the plush parts together!"

"Hehe, It wouldn't look this good if it weren't for Miss Sonia!"

Nagito resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Same old Souda._

"Oh! You forgot to mention that it dances whenever it detects music!" Sonia said.

"Really?" Ibuki said excitedly, before running off and somehow setting up her guitar and speakers in less than a minute. Kazuichi immediately ran off somewhere to hide, while Sonia decided to stay out of politeness. Nagito braced himself for the heavy metal that was about to be played.

Except it never came.

Unlike the heavier, more ear-splitting songs Nagito had heard Ibuki play before, what Ibuki was playing right now had a more distinct pop music feel to it. The chibi plushies stood up and started dancing to the music. The sight of a dozen Hinata plushies dancing on a table was certainly an amusing sight.

"Wow Ibuki! That was amazing!" Sonia said with sparkles in her eyes.

"Yeah! Nagito-chan helped me come up with it!"

"Komaeda helped you compose that?" Kazuichi came out from his hiding spot. "For real?"

"I just gave her an idea, I guess." Nagito said.

"It's part of our surprise for Hajime!" She puts the guitar away. "Speaking of which, we still have a lot of work to do Nagito-chan!"

Before Nagito could react, Ibuki pulled him away. His luck then decided to act up at that moment as he tripped over the wire connecting the speaker to the wall, which immediately caused a chain reaction, resulting in several tables tipping over causing a bunch of food and drinks to spill. Sonia, Kazuichi, and Akane reacted in time to get the plushies out of danger, but unfortunately Nagito was drenched with a gross mixture of coffee, tea, water, and juice. The liquid started seeping over to the outlet too, causing it and the half-plugged in speaker to short circuit as the power in the restaurant went out.

"Ack!" Ibuki pulled away the soaked speaker. "Aww man, it's broken again..."

"Is everyone alright?" Sonia called out. "Are the plushies safe?"

"They're fine!" Akane said.

"Thank goodness..." Kazuichi said in exasperation. "I spent so much time on that."

Nagito shrunk himself into the corner. His damp clothes were giving him chills, and the spilled juice was starting to get sticky. Everyone was distracted trying to clean up, so he started inching his way towards the exit.

"What is going on here?" _Oh, Hanamura-kun decided to come out of the kitchen._ "It's pitch-black in the kitchen! I can't cook like this!"

"It's probably just another blown fuse, I'll go fix it!" Kazuichi took a look at the broken speaker. "This too Ibuki, it's nothing beyond repair, I think I can give it back by this afternoon!"

"Really? Thank you, thank you!" Ibuki jumped up and down. 

"Dammit," Kazuichi sighed. "I almost forgot Komaeda's luck does this."

"Hey, where _did_ Komaeda go?" Sonia asked.

Unknown to them, the luckster had already left, sulking as he went.

* * *

Nagito took a long shower, half because he felt absolutely disgusting, and half because he wanted to avoid everyone else for a while.

_He ruined everything again. Should have known that there's always bad luck around the corner._

He was reminded of the reason why he kept to himself more whenever Hajime wasn't around. 

_And here I thought I could get by without being dependent on him._

He dries his hair off. He contemplates combing through it, but for all he knew the comb would break too. Instead, he manages to tame it down a tad bit using his hands.

_I'm gonna have to apologize to Ibuki later for this too..._

Nagito stared at his bookshelf. Even though he has probably read all of those books multiple times already, it wouldn't hurt to do so again to take his mind off recent events.

He glides his fingers across the book spines, looking for a title that interested him. His eyes landed instead on a small, brown, leather-bound book tucked away at the end of the shelf. 

_Ah, this is the diary I kept during my earlier sessions with Hinata-kun._

Back when he was freshly out of the pod, one of Hajime's suggestions for his rehabilitation was to jot down his thoughts and feelings to better understand them. Nagito had used the notebook for several purposes: record his schedule, vent out his worries, and on better days, doodle or attempt writing poetry. In the end however, most of the attempts were scribbled over or torn away. He wasn't the Ultimate Writer or Ultimate Artist after all. 

He flipped through the notebook, rereading some of his other regular diary entries.

_"It's been a week since Hinata-kun gave me this notebook. I'm surprised it hasn't fallen down a hole or gotten torn to shreds yet! Though I suppose that's thanks to Hinata-kun's luck!"_

_"Today I got to meet Makoto Naegi in person! Ahh, how lucky am I to share a talent with the Ultimate Hope himself!"_

_"A while ago I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to take a walk around the island. I don't remember much after that, but the next thing I knew, I had somehow walked chest-deep into the ocean. A split second later, Hinata-kun came to my rescue. He seemed really upset. Is trash like me really that valuable to him?"_

As Nagito read on, he noticed that pretty much every other entry mentioned Hajime at some point. 

_"Hinata-kun brought me some books today! I really, really can't thank him enough!"_

_"I get this weird, tingly feeling whenever Hinata-kun gets close enough to almost touch. How strange, considering him just being here is enough to calm me...yet my heart feels like it's racing."_

He sat there for a few moments, embarrassment dawning upon him as he realized that the later diary entries resembled that of a lovesick schoolgirl's.

_"My jacket somehow was blown away by a strong wind when it was left out to dry after being washed, but Hinata-kun surprised me by sewing me a new one himself! I truly am grateful, it even has a similar design! ~~It sort of smells like him too.~~ "_

_"Today, me and Hinata-kun went gardening! Mioda-san, Saionji-san, and Koizumi-san came over and made flower crowns with us! Hehe, it was funny seeing the flowers get stuck in Hinata-kun's hair, he was absolutely flustered!"_

When had simple admiration turn into adoration? Was it always like this?

_No._ Nagito thought. _It extends to much more, way before that._

_"Hey, can you hear me? Are you okay?"_

_"For someone like me to be useful to you, and to even receive your words of gratitude...makes me happy."_

His memories of the program were still hazy at some points, but he could still remember his conversations with Hajime, telling him everything.

_"Now that I'm on the verge of death, I've finally realized what I wanted all along: somebody's love."_

_"I am truly in love with y-the hope that sleeps inside you."_

Nagito only vaguely remembers the other's response, more confused than anything else. His feelings towards Hajime haven't really changed much since then. 

_And to this day he doesn't know if the other feels the same way. All because he's too chicken to ask, or confess again._

Nagito puts the diary back on the shelf, but not before a page of it suddenly falls to the floor. It seemed that one of his own scrapped poems was written on this one. 

_In the school campus at midnight, my heart throbs as I continue waiting  
"I was born for the sake of meeting you", I think at the moment  
so boot up, warm up, hang up… make up, mess up, down up, I give my all to you  
That's it, think up, pop up, pull up… brush up—if it's to protect you, the strongest final light of hope  
_

_Huh. I barely remember writing this._

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought.

"Hellooo?" It was Ibuki. "Are you in there, Nagito-chan? Can Ibuki come in?"

Nagito got up and opened the door for her. 

"Ibuki was really, really worried about Nagito-chan!" She said. "Are you ok?"

"I should be asking you that." Nagito mumbled. "I'm really sorry about the speaker."

"Forget about the speaker!" Ibuki shook her head. "Friends always come first!"

"...So you're not mad?"

"Of course not! Ibuki knows it wasn't your fault!" 

Nagito sighed. "It kind of is, with my luck and all..."

"Ibuki doesn't know the specifics, but Hajime had told us your luck can't be controlled, right? So it isn't your fault that you have bad luck!" She asks. "Besides, luck doesn't make Nagito-chan less cool to hang out with!"

Nagito raised a questioning eyebrow. "You... think I'm cool to hang out with?"

"Of course you are!" Ibuki smiles. "Ibuki hasn't had this much fun since Hajime-chan joined my band! Hey, that reminds me! You're now a band member now too!"

"I am?"

Ibuki nods her head. "Ibuki was gonna remind you that we should work on Hajime's present, but it's fine if you don't want to! Ibuki understands if you want to rest!"

Nagito glanced over once more at the paper with the poem on it. 

_If something I helped make can make him really happy, then I have to give it my all...!_

"On the contrary, an idea came to me."

* * *

"Welcome back Hajime!"

"Eyyo, Hajime!"

"Damn, you look completely exhausted!"

"Hajime-chaaaan!" Ibuki ran and hug-tackled him. "Ibuki is very, very happy you're back!"

Everyone was gathered on the beach, where they had waited for the Future Foundation ship to drop off Hajime.

"Thank you Ibuki..." Hajime wheezed. "But... I can't breathe..."

"Ibuki, we're all excited to see him again, but please give him some space." Mahiru said.

Ibuki immediately lets him go.

"So? How're ya feeling?" Fuyuhiko asks. "The Future Foundation really stacked up on the missions, huh?"

"Togami was in a mood since Naegi and the others decided to take a few days off for the new year, so he sort of ended up taking his frustration out on me." Hajime groaned. "God I'm exhausted..."

"Y-You should really rest!" Mikan stuttered. "You look like you're about to collapse any minute now!"

"Yeah bro! Tomorrow's New Year's Eve after all!" Kazuichi said. "Don't worry about us for today! You know we can take care of the island easy!"

"Thanks guys." Hajime nodded. "I'd like to have lunch first though. I'm starving."

Upon hearing that, Teruteru ran back to the restaurant, and everyone cheered as they followed. Nagito was waiting for an opportunity to talk to Hajime himself, but Ibuki suddenly pulled him away again. This time, they went to her cottage. 

"Nagito-chan! Look, look! Ibuki has finished composing the instrumental for the song! And Ibuki had also tried singing the lyrics with it too, your lyric-writing skills are also great!"

"They aren't _that_ good—"

"Yes they are! Which is why Ibuki wants to ask you a favor." She puts her hands on Nagito's shoulders. "You should sing the lead!"

Nagito was taken aback. "What?"

"You. Should. Sing. The. Lead!" She said the words slowly but loudly, syllable by syllable.

"I heard you the first time, Ibuki-san, but me?" Nagito asked. "I'm no good at singing—"

"C'mon! I've heard you sing before Nagito-chan! And I have perfect hearing, so I can totally tell if someone has a good singing voice or not!" Ibuki said. "Also, I feel like if you sing the lead, it would give this song a whole lot more meaning."

"Huh?"

"Remember what I told you? To be a successful musician, you have to perform the song with all your heart and soul! You wrote the lyrics, so that would mean you have a deeper connection to them than I do! This is your song after all!"

Nagito wrinkled his brows in confusion. "My song? But I just helped you think of ideas, you should get the credit."

"Nope! Even though I did help, the efforts are also on you! And Ibuki didn't actually need help with her present." She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I simply wanted to help Nagito-chan out, because Ibuki can see that he really loves and cares for Hajime!"

_Love...? Can his feelings truly be called love?_

"We can practice until you get the hang of it! Ibuki will help you if you can't get a part right, so don't worry!"

Nagito stood up, with newfound determination in his eyes.

"Let's do it."

Time had passed rather quickly after that. Nagito ended up not seeing Hajime for the rest of the day since he immediately went to his cottage to sleep right after he ate. After lunch, Fuyuhiko, Sonia, Akane, and Kazuichi distracted Hajime while the rest of them set up the party on the beach. Their first option was the old building, but even a year later, that place held too many traumatizing memories to have a party, so they decided to move elsewhere. Nekomaru and Peko were helping Ibuki set up the stage and test equipment, Teruteru and the Imposter were busy setting up the tables and chairs, Hiyoko, Mahiru, Gundham and Mikan were hanging up banners, tying balloons to chairs, and arranging all the other decorations. Nagito went around, helping as much as he could without letting his luck affect anything, which to say wasn't much. At some point in the afternoon, He and Ibuki went back to her cottage for one last practice before meeting up with Hajime and the others back at the restaurant, where they'll bring him to his surprise. 

"Nagito?" Someone tapped his shoulder. Nagito whirled around to find a pair of red and green eyes staring back at him.

"Ah, hello there Hinata-kun! You've certainly been busy."

"I sure have been! I wanted to talk to you, you know. It's been a while. I... missed hanging out."

Nagito smiled. "Be careful Hinata-kun, someone could take that the wrong way~"

He felt a sense of pride when he saw Hajime immediately get flustered. "I wasn't even thinking that!"

"The Ultimate Tsun-Tsun makes his appearance once more...!"

"Q-Quit messing with me! I'm being serious!"

His tone betrayed him however, as he cracked a smile and laughed. Nagito laughed too.

"Hey, you two lovebirds better stop making out!" Hiyoko yelled. "We kind of need Hajime right now!"

The mere idea of him and Hajime being a couple was enough to make Nagito's cheeks heat up. 

_Haha... A rather silly fantasy. But it was one Nagito clinged to in the hopes it would come true someday._

Hiyoko grabbed Hajime's arm as they all ushered him to the setup on the beach.

"Happy Birthday Hajime!"

They all surrounded him, tossing confetti and setting off a few party poppers in the area.

Hajime, for once, was caught off-guard, a rare occurrence that barely happened ever since his consciousness fused with Izuru's "Haha, guys, you really didn't have to—"

"What do you mean?" Fuyuhiko nudged him. "You've done way more than enough for us, it's about time we returned the favor!"

"Come, come now everyone! Before the food gets cold!" Teruteru called as several plates of food were brought out. "I made several batches of Japan's finest kusamochi, so eat to your heart's content!"

Nagito looked to see Hajime smile widely, bright and warm like the sun. It carried a childlike sense of excitement that was contagious, and Nagito couldn't help but feel happy too.

_He certainly deserves it._

They all laughed together and ate merrily as they waited for the New Year. Hiyoko danced onstage while everyone else readied their presents for Hajime. Nagito watched on, but was barely paying attention. He realized that he and Ibuki would be performing soon.

_He'll be performing in front of everyone else. He'll be performing for Hinata-kun._

_Will his performance even be worthy of being seen by the others?_

_Would Hinata-kun appreciate it?_

He didn't even realize how badly he was shaking until Ibuki placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Deep breaths Nagito-chan! You don't want to faint before your debut performance!"

"I'm sorry, just nervous." He laughed, his voice sounding shaky. "I've never done this before."

Ibuki punched his shoulder playfully. "You'll be fine! Just remember, sing with all your heart and soul! Now, come on! It's almost time!"

Nagito waited backstage as Ibuki made her announcement. 

"Alright everyone! The new year is getting closer, so Ibuki will now perform Hajime's birthday song! Ibuki would like to give special thanks to Nagito-chan, who actually wrote more of the song than I did! Because of that, he'll be the one singing! This counts as his present too!"

Ibuki motioned for him to come upstage, to the shock of everyone else, Hajime included. He heard Hiyoko make a snide remark about it before Mahiru made her quiet down. 

Nagito fumbled around with the mic, which caused the speakers to screech and everyone to wince. _Just his luck._ "Hah, I'm really nervous about this... but I wanted to give Hinata-kun a really special gift, because he's done so much for me, done so much for everyone, and I'm so, so grateful for that" He internally hates himself for sounding less confident than he wished. "I hope you'll enjoy this gift...!"

He took a deep breath, and Ibuki started playing.

_Yoru no kousha no mannaka de_   
_kokoro odorase machitsudzuketeta_   
_"Kimi to deaeta sono tame ni umaretekita" to_   
_omoeru sono toki wo_

_Dakara boot up, warm up, hand up... make up, mess up, down up  
boku no subete wo kimi ni sasagu  
Sou sa think up, pop up, pull up... brush up mamoreru nara   
saikyou saigo no kibou no hikari  
_

_(wow wow...) Kirameite, kagayaite_   
_(wow wow...) saikou no kimi wo misete yo motto!_   
_(wow wow...) tomaranai guruuvu de_   
_zetsubou fumikoe kagayake (I miss you)_   
_Zettai teki kibou no basudee_

He sang like how they had practiced, confidence building up as he went on.

_Kimi ga mezameru shunkan wo_   
_iki wo hisomase machitsudzuketeru_   
_Akaki namida no dakuryuu ni_   
_momare nomarete ochiyuku sono saki de_   
  


_Dakara lock up, mix up, cut up... key up, sex up, wrap up_   
_mechakucha obore sasate ageru_   
_Sou sa break up, use up, end up... hook up tsunagaru kara_   
_saikyou saigo no kibou no kizashi_

_(wow wow...) Odotte yo, utatte yo  
(wow wow...) saikou no kimi wo misete yo kitto!  
(wow wow...) haiagarenai hodo no  
zetsubou dake ga umidaseru (I want you)  
Zettai teki kibou wa daihaado  
_

Ibuki performed an epic guitar solo as everyone cheered on. The small Hajime plushies Kazuichi made were up and moving, dancing around the birthday celebrant. Hajime himself was watching intently in awe.

_Such a hopeful expression makes me want to tear up...!_

_(wow wow...) Odotte yo, utatte yo  
(wow wow...) saikou no kimi wo misete yo..._

He catches Hajime's gaze as he whispers:

_zutto...!_

_(wow wow...) Kirameite, kagayaite  
(wow wow...) saikou no kimi wo misete yo motto!  
(wow wow...) tomaranai guruuvu de  
zetsubou fumikoe kagayake (I miss you)  
Zettai teki kibou wa daihaado..._

_Zettai teki kibou no basudee!_

The last notes of Ibuki's guitar rang out as the sound faded away to applause. They both bowed and stepped down from the stage, where everyone commented on their performance.

"That was awesome Ibuki!"

"It's different from your usual genre, but it was still good!"

"Whoa, I didn't know Nagito could sing! Did ya teach him?"

"I can't believe he's actually better than me at singing!

"His voice is certainly the seductive type..."

"Hey, hey! Hajime-chan!" Ibuki jumped excitedly. "What did you think of it?"

The boy in in question smiled, except it was directed more at Nagito. "It was perfect. This has to be the biggest surprise of tonight yet."

"Hey, you guys!" Mahiru called their attention. "There's only a few minutes left until midnight!"

"Are we setting off fireworks? I prepared a set for a show in advance!" Kazuichi said as he unveiled a small remote. "It's already set up on a boat out there!" He pointed.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea!" Mahiru said. "I don't see why not!"

Everyone fell back into light conversation about their New Year's resolutions and such. Nagito took a seat a little further away from the conversation. Despite everything that had changed, being around a lot of other people felt draining, so it had basically become instinctual for him to avoid larger crowds of people.

"Hey." Hajime took a seat next to him.

_Of course, there are always exceptions._

"Ah, Hinata-kun, did everyone else bore you already?"

"Not particularly. Just wanted to sit here."

A few moments of comfortable silence passed.

"I'm glad you're opening up more to other people." Hajime said. "I'm both surprised and not at all surprised that it was Ibuki."

Nagito chuckles. "Ibuki is very energetic, and surprisingly insightful. If it weren't for her I'd show up to your own birthday empty-handed!"

"I'd be fine with that too though. You're not obligated to give me anything."

Nagito frowns. "Why wouldn't I give you something, Hinata-kun? It's the least I could do after you've helped me so much."

"No, I—" Hajime shook his head. "I phrased that wrong, sorry. What I meant was you just being here, that's already enough for me."

_Is he implying...?_

_No, that would be too good to be true._

"You wrote the lyrics, right?"

Nagito nodded. "Ibuki helped a bit, but yes."

"I figured. Only you would put "hope" so much in a single song." His tone was lighthearted, but there was something else about the way he said it that made Nagito feel a little uneasy.

"You used the phrase "Absolute Hope Birthday" a lot." He said quietly. "Do you really think I'm deserving of that title?"

Nagito looks at Hajime strangely. "You're starting to sound like me, Hinata-kun, are you sure I'm not a bad influence?"

He narrows his eyes at him. "Nagito, it's a legitimate question. The only reason why I'm called "Ultimate Hope" is because of Izuru's talents. Everything "hopeful" about me is artificial, created in a lab."

"That's not the reason why _I_ consider you the Ultimate Hope." Nagito said. "The me back then believed only talent can create hope, but you... You changed all of that. You, out of everyone on this island, caught my eye. Back in the program, you were the only one who couldn't remember his talent, and yet I was so sure that you had a great hope within you. Even when I realized you were originally a Reserve Course Student, I still cared about you. You were the only person on that island I was drawn to, and you were the only one willing to try and understand me. And despite everything that has happened, you still persevere, you still pull through, talent or no talent. That's what real hope is. You became my image of hope. "

_You were the only person I ever loved. But do you still remember that?_

Hajime seemed surprised at his answer, but then he smiled. "You really have grown as a person. I'm proud."

_Ah, he still didn't take the hint._

"20 seconds until midnight!" Ibuki yelled. "Time to make some noise everybody!"

"Hinata-kun, do you still remember what I said to you in the program?"

"Huh?"

_15, 14, 13..._

"When I told you about my terminal illnesses, I said something else right as you left."

"Oh." Hajime seems to think for a bit. "It was... something along the lines of "loving the hope inside of me"? I was really confused by that."

_10, 9, 8..._

"You really are dense, aren't you Hinata-kun?"

"Wh—What?"

"A heartfelt confession, only I chickened out of it the last second. I was hoping you got the hint, but I guess I was wrong about that."

_7, 6, 5..._

Hajime's face was fully flushed pink at this point.

Nagito inches closer.

_"Perhaps I should be more forward."_

_4_

"Nagito? What are you..."

_3_

"I have one last present for you, _Hajime_."

_2...1_

Nagito presses his lips onto Hajime's. 

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Fireworks flash and everyone yells at the top of their lungs.

Amidst all the noise, Nagito hums as Hajime kisses him back. He threads his fingers through the other's spiky brown hair as he deepens the kiss.

_Mmm..._

_"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!"_

The two of them separate, suddenly remembering that they were very well in a public place and that everyone can see them.

"My, my, that was certainly a spicy kiss-"

"Congratulations Nagito! You too Hajime!"

"Pay up! Kazuichi-chan!" Ibuki hollers. "I told you he'd smooch Hajime by midnight!"

"Dammit, that's what was left of my spare change..."

"Eww, no one wants to see PDA!" Hiyoko whines, and the rest laugh.

"Hehe." Nagito chuckles. "Let's go back to our love nest then, Hajime! We don't need to worry about anyone else disturbing us there!"

"L-Love nest? Hey Nagito, wait...!"

**Author's Note:**

> Ibuki: I hope her characterization is alright! Ibuki is probably my favorite character from the female cast of SDR2.
> 
> Chocolate Porridge: Yes, it's a thing. It's called _champorado_ , and it's a common Filipino breakfast food that is usually paired with salted fish, locally called _tuyo_. I've seen people get weirded out by this combination, but it's one that works (it's delicious btw :D).
> 
> Nagito's song to Hajime: In case for some reason you didn't know, this is "Zettai Kibo(u) Birthday" (Absolute Hope Birthday), the DR3 Despair Arc ED and is part of a two-song album featuring Megumi Ogata (Nagito's JP seiyuu) singing in character as hope boi himself. The lyrics are about the "birth of the absolute hope", and it's basically referring to Izuru (and Hajime by extension really). Megumi Ogata herself wrote the lyrics to the song, which contain... rather _suggestive_ themes, if you catch my drift ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). I took the lyrics from the wiki, so everything is fan-translated.
> 
> Hajime plushies: I saw the Servant Nagito meshinui and thought "I need a Hajime version of these".
> 
> Fireworks: I did some research and apparently a traditional Japanese New Year isn't celebrated with fireworks, since they're seen as a summer festival thing. However, I like to think that since New Year's is also Hajime's birthday it's acceptable to break tradition.
> 
> I might have rushed the ending a bit to drop this in time for Hajime's birthday, but I hope you all enjoyed it!


End file.
